Last evening I saw a wonderful documentary "Living with Lincoln" about the Kunhart family's preservation of the Lincoln Legacy. As I've been involved with researching my family's genealogy for many years, but have not focused on it in a while, the documentary inspired me to learn more about my Great Great Grandfather William Henry Hunter Turner who served in the 18th Battalion Georgia during the Civil War. His muster records list him as W.H.H. Turner (some are W.H. Turner) and he served in Company A of the 18th Battalion Georgia. To my knowledge, William was not an American citizen (and I am curious why he would enlist). His family was from England and his parents emigrated to the British colony of Guiana, South America where he was born. The family spent 10 years in British Guiana and when he was 7 years old they relocated to New York City. When he was 12, his mother and a new born baby died in childbirth and his father relocated the family to Savannah, Georgia. On March 1, 1862 at the age of 19, he enlisted at Green Island, by Capt. GA Mercer, Confederate Army, 18th Battalion Georgia. I have his muster rolls through December 1864, where he is listed as "deserting to the enemy while on picket" in Chaffins, VA". There is also a Confederate record indicating he is a prisoner of war, was taken to Washington and then to Port Royal, SC and has taken the oath at Bermuda 100. He eventually ended up in New York city and here I am.
I would like to ask the experts how I can find out more about his experiences during the 2.5 years that he served for the Confederacy and also about his "desertion/capture", time in Washington and Port Royal, SC. I was told by a civil war buff that at the end of the war conditions were so poor that often the Confederate soldiers gave up and walked over to the Union soldiers to surrender. I'll be honest it was quite a shock when I first saw "deserter" on his muster roll, but there are also records on the Union side (per the confederate records) that he was a prisoner of war. Any advice how I can search for more information on him would be wonderful and appreciated. I have a photo that I believe is from the 1870's that I am confident is him (it was my grandmother's family photo) and would love to find out if there are any photos of the 18th Battalion documented anywhere. Thank you
Turner , W.H.H.
BATTLE UNIT NAME: 18th Battalion, Georgia Infantry
SIDE: Confederacy
COMPANY:
A,B
SOLDIER'S RANK IN:
Private
SOLDIER'S RANK OUT:
Private
ALTERNATE NAME:
FILM NUMBER:
M226 ROLL 61
PLAQUE NUMBER:
NOTES:
General Note - See also W.H./Turner
Name Note - 1 (Olmstead's) Ga. Inf.
I would like to ask the experts how I can find out more about his experiences during the 2.5 years that he served for the Confederacy and also about his "desertion/capture", time in Washington and Port Royal, SC. I was told by a civil war buff that at the end of the war conditions were so poor that often the Confederate soldiers gave up and walked over to the Union soldiers to surrender. I'll be honest it was quite a shock when I first saw "deserter" on his muster roll, but there are also records on the Union side (per the confederate records) that he was a prisoner of war. Any advice how I can search for more information on him would be wonderful and appreciated. I have a photo that I believe is from the 1870's that I am confident is him (it was my grandmother's family photo) and would love to find out if there are any photos of the 18th Battalion documented anywhere. Thank you
Turner , W.H.H.
BATTLE UNIT NAME: 18th Battalion, Georgia Infantry
SIDE: Confederacy
COMPANY:
A,B
SOLDIER'S RANK IN:
Private
SOLDIER'S RANK OUT:
Private
ALTERNATE NAME:
FILM NUMBER:
M226 ROLL 61
PLAQUE NUMBER:
NOTES:
General Note - See also W.H./Turner
Name Note - 1 (Olmstead's) Ga. Inf.